Abstract
Purpose: The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of limbal autograft location on corneal astigmatism in inferior and superior conjunctival autografted pterygium surgery.Methods: Patients were divided into 2 groups as diagnosed with primary pterygium and planned to receive surgical treatment. Pterygium surgery was performed 25 patients with superior and 25 patients with inferior limbal autograft who have similar epidemiologic features. Cornea anterior and posterior surface keratometry (K) 1, K2, Kmax, peripheric radius (Rper) (the mean radius of curvature of the 7.0-9.0 mm ring area), refractive astigmatism and axis values, were examined. Corneal irregularity indices were the index of surface variance (ISV), index of vertical asymmetry (IVA, mm), index of height asymmetry (IHA, μm), index of height decentration (IHD, μm). The data were compared pre and postoperative and the effect of graft location on results was evaluated.Results: K1 which is from the values of the cornea front face has risen after surgery both of superior and inferior groups (p=0.011). However, no postoperative significant difference was detected in terms of the change. Otherwise, both of groups (p<0.001) have changed regarding astigmatism and Rper, but no postoperative significant difference was found in terms of the change. There were not any differences between groups regarding the changes of postoperative back face values. A significant decrease was detected on ISV, IVA, IHD values of the SLAG group (p<0.001) and ILAG group (p<0.001) in terms of all corneal anterior surface indices. However, there was no significant difference between the groups regarding the results of postoperative (p>0.05).Conclusion: The effects of pterygium surgery with limbal autograft were not significant on corneal astigmatism. However, we suggest that for the cases which need the protection of bulbar conjunctiva or when it can not be used, inferior bulbar conjunctiva preference can achieve successful results.